Pittsburgh Steelers vs Carolina Panthers Preview

Welcome to the most comprehensive Pittsburgh Steelers Game Day Preview on the internet! This is your one stop shop for everything you need to know about the Steelers and their upcoming opponent! Mike Drakulich of Pittsburgh SportsNation brings you inside the huddle for both teams, providing all fans with a Game Preview, the Steeler’s Keys to Victory, Score Prediction, a detailed breakdown of each team, Fantasy Football Impact, Game Information, Individual Stats, Team Stats, and the latest Injury Report. Heck, you even get the weather at kickoff. The only thing you’re missing is a game uniform!

STEELERS FACE CAROLINA IN PRIME-TIME ON THURSDAY NIGHT AT HEINZ

The 2nd half of the 2018 season starts a few days earlier for the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2-1) as they face the Carolina Panthers (6-2) this Thursday night at Heinz Field.

The Steelers come into this game on a roll, winning their past four games. Carolina comes in equally as hot, bringing home victory in five of their past six.

One of those streaks will come to an abrupt halt, and the team that stands tall will likely be the team that controls the clock and secures the ball the best.

Despite some early struggles, the Steelers are once again looking like a Super Bowl contender.

“We’re a resilient bunch,” said defensive end Cameron Heyward. “We can dig some holes for ourselves, and we can get out of some holes. There’s trends between our first quarter and our second quarter, and our third quarter hasn’t been defined yet. We look forward to being on the right end of that.”

Like the Steelers, Carolina has already dispatched of Baltimore and Cincinnati this season, and will be looking to make it three straight over the AFC North.

“They just beat two AFC North opponents already, so it’s time for us to show them that they’re not just going to run the AFC North and bowl us over,” Heyward said. “You put a lot of respect on what they’ve done and what we’ve done. But this team’s hot and we’ve got to stone them.”

Carolina’s strength is centered around it’s rushing attack, led by Christian McCaffrey, the dual threat RB out of Stanford.

“We understand the job’s not done,” Heyward said. “We’re going against the No. 2 rushing offense, and we look forward to a test like that, where we can not only keep them from doing anything but make a mark and tell them that you’ve got to be (more than) one-dimensional versus us.”

In the first part of the year, Pittsburgh’s D was soft as a pillow vs the run, allowing the Chiefs and Browns to run rampant through them. Carolina ranks second in the NFL in rushing at 143.9 yards a game. Luckily, the defense has returned to form, allowing only 64.8 yards a game during their winning streak of four.

Carolina QB Cam Newton will be priority #1 for the Steelers to neutralize.

“You should start with Cam Newton because he can run it, he can throw it, he’s strong, he can make all the throws (with) accuracy from a distance standpoint,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.

“But I really think what’s going on with them is looking at the infusion of roles between what he and McCaffrey are able to do. You talk about multi-talented players, multidimensional players that are really performing well together.”

Carolina will also have it’s hands full with Pittsburgh’s running game. James Conner, who has made Steelers fans forget about the whereabouts of holdout Le’Veon Bell, is coming off of AFC Player of the Week and Month honors. The offense, as a whole, is heating up at the right time of the year.

“He’s a beast,” Carolina linebacker Luke Kuechly said of Conner, according to the Panthers’ website. “They are really good up front — they’re big and physical. They work really together, but that guy is really good. He’s playing with a lot of confidence.

“He’s like these new-age backs where they are good, obviously, running the ball, but he can catch the ball and cause some mismatches as well.”

Last week against the Ravens, who were the #1 ranked defense, the Steelers accumulated 395 yards and converted 10 of 16 third-down attempts.

“I think you put a lot into it,” guard Ramon Foster said of the Steelers’ win streak. “We went against some really good defenses. We went against some teams on the road. We dropped some to a team early on that we ended up getting some get-back on, so I can say definitely from the first Baltimore game to this last one you’ve got to say that we improved.”

Steelers Keys To Victory

Offense

Protect the ball.

Attack downfield to open running game.

Feed James Conner.

Defense

Disrupt Cam Newton’s flow.

Contain Christian McCaffrey.

Know where Greg Olsen is at all times.

Prediction

This should be a fun one to watch, It’s a short week so both teams won’t be well rested. This one could be all about momentum. If Pittsburgh can get up early and keep the Heinz Field crowd energized, Carolina just might be in for a long night. Ben Roethlisberger always plays above the line in prime-time. Carolina is very tough to run against, but that won’t stop Pittsburgh from trying the jam the ball down the Panther’s throats behind James Conner, who is having an MVP type season. Pittsburgh is starting to master the art of balance in it’s attack, which makes them very difficult to contain for long.

The defense for the Steelers is rounding into an above average unit during their win streak, shutting down the Falcons, Bengals, Browns, and Ravens for all intensive purposes.

It won’t be easy, but Pittsburgh needs to keep Cam Newton in the pocket and hit him as many times as possible. Newton isn’t on the injury report, but has a sore shoulder from a few reports out there. Christian McCaffrey is a stud, but the key to stopping him is making the tackle at the point of contact.

Be happy, the world finally gets a Thursday night game worth watching! Carolina will give a good effort, but in the end…

Scouting the Steelers

Quarterback

Ben Roethlisberger has been up and down all season, but is still putting up big numbers in the passing game. Big Ben’s big arm, along with his uncanny ability to slip out of the pocket and extend plays makes him one one of the league’s best.

Running Backs

Le’Veon Bell is one of the league’s best backs. He is dynamic in both running and catching the ball out of the backfield, but until he signs his contract and reports to the team… who cares? James Conner is more than capable of shouldering a starters share of carries. He has slimmed down and has added speed and quickness to an already powerful running style. Conner has become a dual threat with Bell out. Jaylen Samuels is an H-Back type of player that can line up all over the field. He is especially dangerous catching passes out of the backfield. Steven Ridley is a capable runner that can be counted upon on an as needed basis.

Wide Receivers

What more can you say about Antonio Brown? He is the league’s best wide receiver. His dedication and drive to be the best is unmatched by any player in the league. JuJu Smith-Schuster heads into his 2nd season and has picked up where he left off. Speaking of rookies, James Washington was a Camp favorite of Roethlisberger, and could quickly establish himself as a dangerous weapon in the slot as the 3rd receiver. Justin Hunter is a nice deep threat. Darrius Heyward-Bey is mainly used on special teams. Ryan Switzer has been good in the return game, but has also established himself as a reliable target for Roethlisberger out of the slot..

Tight Ends

Jesse James is reliable as ever. Vance McDonald is looking to make a big impact in his 2nd year as a Steeler, looking to build off a 10-catch, 112-yard day in a postseason loss to the Jaguars. Xavier Grimble provides a big target for Roethlisberger in the Red Zone.

Defense

Up front, the Steelers deploy Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt as their defensive ends. In the middle, Javon Hargrave and Daniel McCullers will rotate. Tyson Alualu and Kameron Canaday will see time at defensive end as well. L.T. Walton can play all three spots.

The linebacker unit goes Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt on the outside, with Vince Williams and Jon Bostic in the middle. Anthony Chickillo and Matthew Thomas back-up Dupree and Watt, while L.J. Fort and Tyler Matakevich are reserves in the middle.

In the secondary, Artie Burns and Joe Haden are the starters at cornerback. Backing them up will be Brian Allen, Mike Hilton, Cameron Sutton, and Coty Sensabaugh. Rookie Terrell Edmunds starts at strong safety, with Morgan Burnett backing him up and seeing plenty of action in nickle and dime formations. Sean Davis is the starter yet again at free safety, with Jordan Dangerfield and Marcus Allen as reserves.

Scouting the Panthers

Quarterback

Cam Newton is the man who can run it and throw it. Newton has 1,893 yards passing, 15 touchdown passes and only four interceptions. He is elusive, only being sacked 12 times, and has 342 yards rushing and another four scores.

Running Backs

Christian McCaffrey leads the way and can do it all. He has 502 yards on the ground, finding the end-zone three times. He has amassed 49 receptions, good for 378 yards and another two TD’s.

Wide Receivers

Devin Funchess is the best of the bunch, with D.J. Moore, Jarius Wright, and the up and coming Curtis Samuel as Newton’s weapons in the Carolina passing game.

Tight End

Greg Olsen is Newton’s go-to-guy when it counts. Injured earlier, he is heating up with each passing game.

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From Midland, "The Basketball Capital of Pennsylvania", located 35 miles NW of Pittsburgh along the Ohio River. This former steel town was home to storied athletes such as Dave Alston, Norm Van Lier, Simmie Hill, and the legendary 1965 Midland High School Basketball Team.

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